Patients at Tororo District Hospital were left in shock and relief after the Inspector General of Government (IGG) uncovered a disturbing pattern of alleged medical fraud, absenteeism, and gross mismanagement that had reportedly gone unchecked for years.
The surprise operation, led by IGG Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala, ended with the arrest of the hospital’s top leadership and a mortuary attendant, exposing what officials described as a “deeply broken system” where patients were allegedly forced to pay bribes for basic care. The arrested officials include Hospital Administrator Dr. Livingston Okabe, his deputy Dr. Proscovia Awino, and mortuary attendant Moses Owino.
During the inspection, investigators say they found shocking malpractice in the hospital mortuary, where the attendant allegedly carried out postmortem examinations without proper qualifications or supervision. According to the IGG enforcement team, the attendant confessed to conducting postmortems alone for years in the absence of a qualified pathologist.
“This is a clear and dangerous case of abuse of office,” said Kakooza Savio Ntensibe. “We are seeing unqualified staff performing professional medical duties, putting both public health records and the dignity of the dead at risk.” The investigation further revealed what officials described as systemic corruption within the hospital.
Some patients reportedly said they were asked to pay up to UGX 450,000 to access surgical procedures, while others were allegedly redirected to private pharmacies to purchase drugs that were supposed to be available at the facility. The crisis came into sharper focus when Tororo Resident District Commissioner Sadick Bategaya intervened in the maternity ward after a woman in labor was allegedly left unattended. “I had to physically plead with administrators to attend to the woman,” he said.
“The government increased their salaries, yet they refuse to do the work they are paid for.” Inside the hospital stores, the IGG team reportedly found over 100 brand-new mattresses locked away, while patients continued to lie on broken beds. Investigators also discovered sealed boxes of medicines supplied by the National Medical Stores, unused despite shortages in wards.
Even basic sanitation supplies, including soap and disinfectants, were found unused while hygiene conditions in the facility were described as extremely poor. Batala said the findings reflect a broader crisis in public health service delivery. “There are over 100 new mattresses in stores, but patients sleep on rotting beds. Drugs are here, but patients are buying them outside. This is not negligence alone—it is cruelty,” she said.
She added that the arrested officials are being held as investigations continue and will be transferred to Kampala for further questioning and possible prosecution. Authorities have vowed to overhaul operations at the facility, describing the hospital as a “systemic failure” that must be urgently corrected to restore public trust in government health services.